By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Residents of Royal Gardens Estate in Ajah, Lagos, have appealed to the Lagos State House of Assembly to intervene in a long-running dispute over electricity supply, service charges and alleged rights violations by their developer.

Speaking during a visit to the House Committee on Housing, headed by Mr. Segun Ege, the Chairman of the Royal Gardens Estate Residents Association (RGERA), Mr. Anthony Ogbebor, said the community had been battling “unfair” practices for over a decade, which worsened in the past 18 months.

According to Ogbebor, the developer introduced a controversial block-metering system after a communal generator failed to meet the Estate’s power demands. Under the arrangement, all households are linked to a single meter in the common area, making residents collectively responsible for the estate’s entire bill.

His words: “Right now, I have over 4,000 units on my prepaid meter but no electricity because of the block meter system. We have met our obligations but are being punished for a system that is clearly against the law,” Ogbebor said.

He noted that while similar estates such as VGC and Crown Estate have been directly metered by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Trojan Estate had blocked such efforts in Royal Gardens. “EKEDC has confirmed it is willing to meter us directly. The developer does not live here yet insists on a system that is crippling residents financially,” he said.

The residents’ woes worsened in April 2024 when electricity tariffs jumped from ₦74 per Kwatt hour to ₦241. Because of the block-metering arrangement, Ogbebor said the new rate was applied instantly, ballooning their monthly bill from about ₦60 million to nearly ₦290 million and plunging the estate into darkness since May 26, 2024.

He also alleged that the developer had refused multiple invitations from the Nigerian Electricity Commission (NEC) to mediate, instead opting to challenge NEC’s jurisdiction in court. The matter, now over a year old, is still awaiting judgment.

“We don’t want to take the law into our hands. That is why we are appealing to the House to intervene. This is about fundamental human rights,” Ogbebor stressed.

“During the hearing, the Members of the House Committee reportedly asked the developer to produce documents showing the status of the court case and promised to fix another date to revisit the matter. One of the options being considered is for the House to seek the Chief Judge’s intervention to expedite judgment.

The residents are demanding two key changes: the removal of the block meter system in favour of individual metering by EKEDC, and transparency in the collection and application of service charges within the estate.